


All Shall Dissolve

by Anonymous



Category: Thor (Movies)
Genre: Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Spoilers, Canon Divergence - Thor (2011), Canon-Typical Violence, Loki is his own warning, M/M, Mindfuck, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Sibling Incest, Time Shenanigans
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-01
Updated: 2018-05-11
Packaged: 2019-04-30 19:52:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 14,628
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14504301
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: Following the events of Infinity War, Thor finds himself back in Asgard, about to receive the crown. Has he been given a second chance, or is it all simply a dream? In either case, he must decide what to do with the time that has been given to him, and perhaps, just perhaps, create a better future.





	1. Chapter 1

It was as if someone had pulled him from black waters and into a golden light.

He inhaled on instinct, like a fish on dry land, and only then found himself kneeling on the elaborately detailed floor of the throne room in Asgard, with Mjolnir at his side, whole and unharmed. Another breath, and he knew it was a dream.

He raised his gaze, still gasping for air. Around him, as many Asgardians in a single room as now existed in the entire universe, and beyond the walls, their entire people, blissfully unaware of what would happen to them. On the throne up the stairs, his father, weary, but strong and undoubtedly alive. Standing on the stairs, his mother, clad in a heavy golden cloak, looking at him with a mixture of pride and barely hidden exasperation; The Warriors Three and Lady Sif, their expressions level but pleased. And finally, his brother, looking on with what Thor would once have thought to be quiet acceptance.

"Do you swear?"

His mouth open, he focused his eyes on the Allfather, trying to make sense of his dream. This had been his failed coronation, what now felt like eons ago. What was he meant to swear? Fealty to his people? Protection to the realm? He couldn't even protect his own family. Resisting the urge to shake his head from side to side till he awoke, he instead pinched the flesh of his thigh. It ached, a genuine sting rather than the ghost pain of illusions, and the golden room remained intact. A dream ought to have rippled away and given way to reality.

He stared at his hand, then up at his father, more at a loss by the moment.

"Thor Odinson, do you swear?" There was an unmistakable trill of annoyance to Odin's tone, carefully masked underneath all its dignity.

There was only one thing he could say. "I swear."

When the clamor from the treasury disrupted the ceremony, he barely noticed. He got on his feet, fully aware the feeling of the floor under his soles was too real for even the most life-like of dreams, and when he gripped Mjolnir's shaft, the leather around the grip felt like it had never left his hand.

His eyes briefly met Loki's as they rushed to the treasury. They revealed nothing.

 

* * *

 

By the time they had secured the Casket of Ancient Winters, his mind was a maelstrom. He barely heard his father's words, his contentment at the the treasury's security measures, andonly vaguely recalled the outrage he had felt when he had first lived this moment, his eagerness to do battle heedless of consequences, like it had happened to another person entirely.

Perhaps it had.

This time, he could only nod and agree with his father, both too preoccupied in trying to understand what was happening to him, and knowing the Allfather's words were far wiser than his folly of youth had been. "Should we look for further interlopers?"

Odin nodded. "Heimdall has never failed us before." He raised his gaze towards the ceiling. "We shall postpone the ceremony till tomorrow, after we have made sure the realm is secure."

Thor nodded along. It would give him time to understand what was happening to him. Had he truly traveled back in time, or had he been somehow transported into a dimension so similar to his own past not even he could tell the difference?

As he pondered this, his father gave him a single, long look, followed by a nod of approval. He gestured at them to follow him back to the throne room.

Loki, who had followed the conversation without so much as a quirk of the eyebrow, matched his pace to Thor's as they climbed the stairs from the treasury. "You held your temper well."

In response, Thor grabbed him by the wrist. The carefully crafted neutral expression gave way to polite confusion, but what truly mattered was the genuine flesh and bone in his grasp, and underneath the heavy fabrics, a live, quickening pulse.

Alive. Unquestionably alive.

He let go, not bothering to excuse himself. He needed time, preferably alone, before he said anything more.

And if there was a shred of mercy in this universe, he thought as he climbed on, Loki's eyes staring at the back of his head as if trying to see through his skull, perhaps he would get to spend that time alone with a cask of the strongest ale Asgard had to offer.


	2. Chapter 2

Volstagg finished devouring his second helping of braised pheasant and smacked his lips in appreciation. "The kitchens really outdid themselves."  
  
"You have to wonder what they think about having to do it all over for tomorrow," said Hogun, casually examining an apple before biting into it.  
  
"Surely some of this will keep till then."  
  
"Not at the rate you're going through it," Fandral quipped from the other side of the table, pouring himself more ale.  
  
Thor followed all this without a word, still getting used to seeing with two natural eyes. In the end, he had only had a moment to himself between talking to his mother and his friends finding him in the banquet hall, and ultimately, he was thankful for it; his bewilderment felt far more insignificant in the face of a chance to speak with his lifelong companions once again. It was just like old times, assuming it wasn't literally the old times.  
  
He looked around,  He was sitting exactly where he had back then, only with a tankard of ale in hand, and in a far better mood. The first time he had lived this moment, he had upended the tables like a child throwing a tantrum. Now, those felt like the actions of another person entirely.  
  
"Frost giants, of all people." Fandral had already downed twice as much ale as Thor despite starting later, and it showed. "What did they want from us?"  
  
"The Casket of Ancient Winters, of course," said Lady Sif, raising her drink to her lips. "They had good timing. When is the last time the treasure was so lightly guarded?"  
  
"Even stranger that Heimdall saw nothing." Loki was the only one in the room who hadn't helped himself to either food or drink. He sat just beyond Thor's reach with his hands on his lap. "Perhaps he's losing his sight."  
  
"I wouldn't suggest that where he can hear you," said Hogun.  
  
Loki ignored him and turned towards Thor. "What do you think we should do now?"  
  
Thor lowered his tankard. "Mother said the guards found nothing, not even a hint of how they might have gotten in. She said Father is pleased enough with that."  
  
"And you think so as well?" When Thor didn't respond, Loki continued. "Not that I disagree. They won't dare try something like this again for quite a while, so we have plenty of time to find out how they broke in."  
  
At that, Volstagg looked up from his plate. "I heard some people murmuring about that. If they got in once, what's stopping them of sneaking in again whenever they want?"  
  
"We will," said Thor firmly.  
  
Loki raised an eyebrow. "You're taking this very well."  
  
Thor turned to face him. "What do you mean?"  
  
"Don't get me wrong, I applaud your calmness. It's simply that I half expected you to fly into a rage at the mere sight of those Jotuns."  
  
"I thought it better to listen to Father on this matter."  
  
"Much better," Loki agreed, with a fervency that was very easy to mistake for the real thing, "and if anyone disagrees, it's their own fault for mistaking prudence for cowardice."  
  
With the advantage of hindsight, it was obvious that his brother's seemingly innocent words were meant to nudge him towards rashness, but even that he found endearing. Who cared if Loki was trying to manipulate him when he was there, and alive, and could still be saved?  
  
Assuming this was the Loki of the past, anyway. He certainly acted the part, but maybe, just maybe, Thor wasn't the only one with memories of things yet to come. It may have been a foolish hope, but if he really had traveled back in time, surely cooperation from his brother who already knew what lay ahead would make everything so much more simple.  
  
It would have been easier to ask about it had they been alone, but he had waited long enough. "They can think what they will. It's like I said to you when we left Sakaar."  
  
Lady Sif and The Warriors Three exchanged confused looks, but that he had expected. What mattered was how Loki would react to what should have been a familiar word.  
  
Loki blinked, then frowned. The difference between his genuine and faked emotions was uncertain at the best of times, but with a sinking feeling, Thor thought he recognized this as authentic puzzlement. "How much did you drink before we found you?"  
  
Well, even if he had returned alone and the Loki before him was as blissfully ignorant of the horrors ahead as the rest of them, he was still Loki. Therefore, he flashed him his brightest smile. "I must remember the name wrong. What I meant is that there's no need for concern. I will place the needs of Asgard before my own."  
  
"Hear, hear!" said Fandral much louder than was necessary, slamming his tankard against the table. "Those are the words of a king!"  
  
"They are." Lady Sif gave Thor a wondering look. She looked ready to add something, but then shook her head and averted her gaze.  
  
"All the more reason to celebrate your ascension to the throne," added Hogun.  
  
Thor continued to smile, but not at their words. Rather, it was from the sheer joy of sitting in that familiar hall, with the familiar sounds and scents of the palace, the familiar faces around. It seemed to him he had never truly appreciated what a charmed life he had led before his banishment.  
  
He turned towards Loki, and found his smile fading under a long, searching look, one he couldn't fully read. He turned back to his drink, and downed what remained of the ale in a single gulp.  
  
The empty tankard was filled again, and with every drink, the growing haze made him more certain he had been mistaken before, that this was all simply a pleasant dying dream or something of its ilk. But then, so what?  He wasn't going to complain about one last golden afternoon in his childhood home, surrounded by long lost friends. It was likely better than any other world he could possibly wake up to.  
  
With that in mind, he raised his mostly empty tankard for a toast. "To today."  
  
As the others gathered around to strike their tankards against his, Loki got up and finally fetched himself a drink. He brought it towards Thor's with a lopsided smile.  
  
"And tomorrow."

 

* * *

  
  
He woke with a jolt, desperately fighting for air. It was only after several agonizing moments that he realized he could breathe unimpeded, and several more that he remembered where he was: his own rooms back in Asgard.  
  
He waited for the blood rushing in his ears to quiet down, feeling battered and exhausted. He had a curious feeling someone was trying to speak to him, but in a voice far too quiet for him to make out a single word.  
  
After a few moments, he was sick of both his weakness and trying to make sense of the whispering. He got up, glad to find his body obeying despite the inexplicable pain, and walked to the window. The rooftops and plazas of Asgard gleamed in the morning light, as radiant as the Asgard of his memories. Not far, the original Bifrost stretched out towards eternity.  
  
He turned his back at the sight and walked to his bed. It appeared that real or not, he was back for more than a single day.  
  
And, if that were the case...  
  
He looked to see where he had laid Mjolnir the previous night and raised it towards the ceiling. Ultimately, it didn't matter in the slightest what he thought the world he was in was. The mere possibility he had gone back in time, no matter how slight, meant he had to make the most of it. Perhaps he couldn't prevent the death of his parents. Perhaps Asgard's destruction was as inevitable as the sun rising in the morning. Perhaps there was no stopping Thanos, nor averting all the destruction he had wrought.  
  
He stood up.  
  
But in the name of everything he had ever loved, he was going to try.  


	3. Chapter 3

He found his father in the first place he checked, enjoying a quiet breakfast with the rest of the family in one of the smaller halls not reserved for the post-coronation celebration that evening. He nodded at his mother and Loki, then cut through the chase. "May I speak with you after you've eaten, Father?"  
  
The Allfather set his goblet on the table. "That would be now. Speak."  
  
"I'd prefer to do it in private."  
  
"Is it urgent?"  
  
"Yes, Father."  
  
If that surprised Odin, he didn't show it. "Very well." He rose from the table with a grunt, and gestured at Thor to follow him.  
  
As they walked away, Frigga shot Thor a questioning look from across the table, and he responded with what he hoped was a reassuring smile. Based on the line between her eyes, it wasn't entirely successful. Meanwhile, Loki appeared more concerned with finishing his breakfast, but when Thor glanced at him from the corner of his eye, it was evident he was paying close attention.  
  
He left the hall and followed his father in silence all the way down to the treasury. Odin didn't so much as acknowledge his presence until he paused by the Casket of Ancient Winters, gazing at his solemnly.  
  
"What troubles you?" he asked, his eyes still on the relic. From up close, it was painfully obvious how desperately he needed rest. Thor felt a pang in his chest as he wondered what part his show of strength to save Thor and his companions due to Thor's folly had played in his death.  
  
But no. He wasn't here to cry about what he had done wrong in the past. He was here to ensure the same thing wouldn't happen again. "It's about today."  
  
Odin turned towards him. "You seemed eager to assume the throne before."  
  
It was true; he had anticipated becoming king like an giddy child, never thinking about what it truly meant. "I will not shy away from my duty, Father. I know it's for the good of the realm."  
  
"Did Loki give you suggestions on how to sound more like a ruler?" The Allfather's one-eyed gaze was like the tip of his spear: sharp and piercing. "In any case, I'm glad you're considering your position with more gravity than before. A king needs words as much as he needs swords."  
  
Thor nodded, but before he could respond, Odin continued. "If not that, are you concerned there will be a repeat of yesterday's raid?"  
  
"No. I wanted to talk about Loki."  
  
Odin grunted, as if he had half expected this. "What has he done this time?"  
  
"Nothing. But I think he might make a better king than I would."  
  
The silence that followed could have been cut with a knife.  
  
"No." Odin eventually said, in a tone that brooked no argument. "Your brother has his strengths, but I chose you to follow me for a reason. Not only are you my first-born—"  
  
The first-born if you ignored his elder sister, but that was a discussion for another time. "I know, Father, but—"  
  
"—but when I look at you, I see the makings of a true king," Odin continued in a tone so decisive Thor instinctively fell silent, feeling like small boy again. "Do not make me doubt myself by showing weakness now." He sighed deeply and returned his gaze to the casket, shaking his head. "I'd ask you if he put you up to this, but I refuse to believe you would fall for such folly."  
  
"He knows nothing of this." He had come to the decision on his own that morning as he had tried to think of a way to best protect everyone. To save Asgard from annihilation, his father needed to live as long as possible to keep Hela at bay, which meant he had to sleep as soon as possible. To protect Asgard from more immediate threats, Thor had to ensure his own presence there. And most pressingly, to keep Loki from doing anything dangerous and above all from ever coming in contact with Thanos, he had to thwart his plans at once, and the best way to do so that he knew was to to show him he and Thor were equals.  
  
He had anticipated Odin would refuse his first suggestion, and now could only hope he would at least entertain his second, true goal. "What if he and I ruled together?"  
  
The proposal wasn't met with anger, just another weary sigh.  
  
Thor pressed on before Odin could deny him. "You always said we were both born to be kings."  
  
Odin gave him a heavy, almost mournful look. "You know as well as I do I didn't mean the two of you should be co-regents."  
  
"I know, Father, but—"  
  
"Enough." He still didn't sound cross, but there was a sharpness to the word that suggested that could easily change. "You are my heir. That's my final word on the subject." He raised his gaze to look through the barbed window. "Involve him in governing the kingdom. Make him your chief advisor if you wish. But there is no realm stable enough to withstand the pressure that comes from supporting two rulers in discord."  
  
"We wouldn't be in discord."  
  
"You have no way of knowing that." Odin closed his eye and turned to leave. "This conversation is over."  
  
Thor looked around to make certain no guards were within hearing distance. It was almost certainly futile, but he had to play his final card. "Is this because of what he is?"  
  
At once, Odin stopped dead in his tracks. When he turned, he looked amazed. "What do you mean by that?"  
  
"I know he wasn't born as my brother." He could only hope Odin wouldn't ask how he knew it, but his instincts told him the fact he knew it at all would make all other questions irrelevant. "I know he is a Frost—"  
  
At that, Odin held up his hand, so forcefully Thor stopped at once. When he lowered it again, he looked older still, and so very tired. "Did he tell you this?"  
  
"No. I don't think he knows." Come to think of it, he had never found out exactly when and how Loki had learned the truth about his origin.  
  
"And that is how it should remain. He is my son, and your brother, and a prince of the realm. Whatever else he may be is irrele—"  
  
Odin suddenly halted and raised his head, like a wolf sensing nearby prey.  
  
Thor froze as well, his heart thrumming wildly. Now that he focused on trying to sense it, he couldn't shake the feeling there was a third presence in the treasury, one far too close by to belong to the guards patrolling the lower levels.  
  
Moments passed, and though the sensation never faded, after neither seeing nor hearing a single sign of anyone else in the room, the Allfather relaxed. He turned back towards the door, his expression so grave it looked as if it had been carved of stone. "Never speak of this to anyone. Do you understand?"  
  
"Of course, Father."  
  
Thor kept both his eyes and ears open as they exited the treasure, finding nothing amiss. Still, he couldn't dismiss the creeping sense that someone was walking right next to him and followed him to sunlight.

 

* * *

 

The spear was heavy in his hand, its shaft unfamiliar where Mjolnir's was comforting, but he met his father's gaze without hesitation as he swore his oaths. Odin, on his part, was every inch the Allfather, steady as bedrock, displaying none of the weariness and sorrow Thor had witnessed in the treasury, and when he pronounced Thor the new king, he did so with genuine pride in his voice.  
  
Try as he might, as he stepped outside and faced the cheering crowd, Thor couldn't find his true smile. All those happy faces, all those lives, young and old and everything in between, all of them precious and fragile, and so close to oblivion that none of them were yet aware of.  
  
Asgard. The very heart of Asgard. The very heart of Asgard that could so easily be destroyed all over again.  
  
The spear felt heavier still as he saw his father off to Odinsleep. The moment itself was peaceful; Mother spoke in a low, gentle voice, smiling despite the sorrow in her eyes, as Father lied back and eased into slumber. Loki stood on the opposite side of the bed to Thor, never uttering a word.  
  
The celebration continued afterwards, and was still at full force well into the night when Thor noticed Loki hadn't returned to the party after the send-off. Excusing himself as best he could, refusing Volstagg's offer for another drink and dodging Lady Sif's puzzled glance, he left the banquet hall, anticipating trouble ahead.


	4. Chapter 4

Loki wasn't to be found in his rooms, but Thor's second hunch proved accurate: he managed to cross paths with him the very instant the latter exited the treasury, pushing the door shut behind him.  
  
As soon as Loki turned and spotted Thor standing behind him, he adopted his usual mild, wide-eyed look, the very embodiment of innocence. It was a fraction too late to fully mask the distraught shadow behind his eyes, if only because Thor had been on the lookout for it.  
  
"If it isn't the king of Asgard." His tone was as composed as his posture, and he even managed a smile. "I assumed you'd be expected at the celebration held in your honor."  
  
"As much as you were, Brother." He decided to play along for the time being and nudged his head in the direction of the vault. "Any particular reason why you were there?"  
  
"I'm looking to see if there are some clues on how the Frost Giants managed to break in. Heimdall is adamant no-one came across the Bifrost, so there must be another path between the realms."  
  
That had indeed been the case from what Thor remembered of Heimdall's account of the events during his exile. "And how do you think they found it?"  
  
Loki cast a fleeting glance at their surroundings, then gestured at Thor to step closer. When he did so, he turned and re-opened the vault, stepping inside. Thor followed.  
  
"I think they had help from within Asgard," Loki said after the door closed behind them and they began descending the stairs. "Someone here must have found the path and made a deal with the Jotuns."  
  
No kidding. "But why would anyone do such a thing?"  
  
"I have no idea." Loki looked Thor in the eye. "We should be careful about how we approach this. Who knows what they're plotting if they're willing to bargain with those brutes?"  
  
Despite knowing full well Loki was not only lying, but trying to cover for his own misdeeds, Thor still couldn't tell it from the obvious sincerity radiating from those bright eyes. No wonder his initial betrayal had taken him so off-guard.  
  
"In any case," Loki continued when he didn't respond, "even if it has been forgotten by most, there must be a record of such a path somewhere in the archives. I will look into it tomorrow."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"It's the least I can do. After all, you'll be busy ruling the kingdom."  
  
They had paused before the Casket of Ancient Winters, in what Thor noted to his curiosity had almost become a ritual to him over the past two days. The look Loki gave the relic was eerily similar to the way Odin had eyed it that very morning.  
  
Enough playing around. "Is there anything you'd like to talk about?"  
  
Loki gave him another politely puzzled look, one that may well have fooled him back when he first lived through this time. No longer. "Loki, I know there's something on your mind. If there's anything you wish to say, I will listen."  
  
Loki gave him a long, blank look. Finally, he turned away. "If you really must know, I had some misgivings about your coronation. But, so far, you've proven me wrong."  
  
Even with the advantage of future memories, Thor wasn't entirely sure whether Loki was being sincere or not. He decided to counter it with sincerity of his own, nevertheless. "I wanted you to rule by my side."  
  
"So I heard."  
  
His tone was deceptively light, but Thor felt a shudder regardless. He heard another inarticulate voice whisper in his ear, much like the one he had heard when he had woken up, but louder and far more insistent. "From whom?"  
  
Loki ignored him and stepped closer to the pedestal, raising his hand towards the relic. "Have you ever tried lifting the casket? It's heavier than it looks."  
  
"Loki." Again, he picked the truth as his weapon of choice. "Whatever you may have heard, you're my brother and I love you."  
  
"You're not my brother."  
  
And with that, Loki dissolved into air.  
  
Thor spun around just in time to deflect the knife thrown at his upper arm. The blade clattered to the ground before he fully realized what had happened. He looked in the direction the knife had flown from, expecting a follow-up attack.  
  
The real Loki stood perhaps twenty feet away, another throwing knife at the ready. "At least your reflexes are as good as his."  
  
Thor considered his options. He was still wielding Gungnir, and if it came down to further blows, he could well defend himself. However, beating Loki to submission was unlikely to help with the big picture. Therefore, he spoke instead. "What are you doing?"  
  
"Fighting the impostor who has stolen the throne, of course." Loki side-stepped for a better throwing angle, his eyes trained on Thor all the while. "I don't know how you fooled everyone else, but you're not fooling me. Thor could never control his temper. Thor would never share honor given to him. Thor would never ask what was on my mind. Thor is arrogant, bloodthirsty, childish—"  
  
"Loki..." The genuine resentment bubbling beneath the words, though not unexpected, still cut like a knife.  
  
"—And Thor would never listen to me listing his flaws without lashing back," Loki concluded with a look of triumph. "So, you may as well save both our time and tell me what you've done to him. If not, I'll call for the guards."  
  
It was almost certainly a bluff; how likely were the guards to believe such a tale? All the same, he'd rather involve no other people in this confrontation.  
  
He raised his unarmed hand in a peaceable gesture. "Loki, I really am Thor."  
  
Loki raised an eyebrow. "And how do you suppose to prove it?"  
  
"I can wield Mjolnir."  
  
Loki blinked, a hint of uncertainty creeping into his posture. "Your hammer is a fake, obviously."  
  
"I can call it here so you can try raising it for yourself."  
  
"And wreck every wall between here and where you left it?"  
  
Thor smiled a little despite himself. "If that's what it takes. But in the interest of keeping the palace intact..." he leaned his spear against the wall and left it there, then took a step towards. "You're one of the best sorcerers in Asgard. You could tell if there were any enchantments on me."  
  
Loki frowned. "Flattery isn't going to get you anywhere." All the same, Thor could see his determination falter.  
  
"Loki," he said firmly, taking another step forward. Loki held his ground, but his knuckles turned white around the hilt of his knife. "I swear to you that I am who say I am, and I will prove it if you wish." How, exactly, he didn't know, but they would find a way.  
  
He kept walking forward at a calm, nonthreatening pace until he stood directly before Loki. Loki stared at him, but as he had neither escaped nor thrown the knife as he approached, he was at least listening for the time being.  
  
"I find it hard to believe you could have grown up like this overnight," he finally said.  
  
Thor smiled in what he hoped was a soothing manner. "I didn't. But I am your brother."  
  
Loki's shoulder's relaxed, but before Thor could say anything further, he shook his head, sudden bitterness flashing in his eyes. "No. You really are not."  
  
The moment the final word escaped his lips, he lunged forward. Thor braced himself for the impact, but the knife followed its twin on the floor before it even grazed him. He glanced down at it, then hastily returned his gaze forward before his mistake turned into a fatal one, only to discover Loki standing so close their noses almost touched.

He didn't understand why until Loki's lips crushed against his.  
  
The kiss lasted only for a few heartbeats, but there was no mistaking it for an accident: when Loki pulled away, he immediately created a distance between himself and Thor, staring intently at his face, anticipating an explosive reaction.  
  
As it happened, Thor was too stunned to. He slowly raised his hand to his mouth, as if it could confirm whether what had happened was indeed real.  
  
It took several long moments before he could speak again, and even then he only managed a single word. "What?"  
  
A brief, enigmatic smile crossed Loki's lips.  
  
Then, without further warning, he turned tail and fled up the stairs.  
  
Thor understood at once that he ought to have chased after him, but by the time his legs got the message, Loki was gone from sight. He stopped halfway up the stairs, his heart thrumming so wildly he half expected it to burst right out of his chest.  
  
He still hadn't come to terms with what had happened when a pair of guards walked over from below, briskly rather than hurriedly, but with spears at the ready. "Your Majesty, is everything fine? We heard some commotion from here."  
  
Thor found himself shaking his head. "It was nothing. Return to your patrol."  
  
Whether the guards believed him or not, they didn't dare second-guess their new king. After a moment of hesitation, they bowed and retired, leaving Thor once more with nothing but his thoughts.  
   
And the whispering voice, which, for a fleeting moment, Thor was certain was laughing at him.


	5. Chapter 5

The whispers followed him everywhere after that, ranging from so faint he wasn't sure he was actually hearing anything, to so loud he could almost make out the words. He soon learned not to bother with deciphering the murmurs, which was never anything but an exercise in frustation, and simply accepted them as endless background noise, strangely comforting in their constancy.  
  
He had more pressing things to consider than possibly going insane. Ruling a realm, even with foreknowledge of future disasters, was taxing indeed. During his idle moments between petitions and searching for ways to best protect Asgard, he sometimes wondered how he would have fared had he assumed the throne when Odin first bequeathed it to him. More often, he thought of his advice. _A wise king never seeks out war, but he must always be ready for it._  
  
His friends gave him more and more strange looks as days went by, but at least the ones his mother gave him were mingled with pride. He allowed them to search his face for hints for his change of demeanor  without a word, busying himself with bolstering the realm's defenses, and, should everything go wrong, planning means to evacuate the entire population of Asgard.  
  
All the same, he couldn't help but feel the calm would give way to a storm very soon indeed.  
  
Loki was avoiding him, and was proving frustratingly good at it: he had been gone by the time Thor exited the vault, and no-one admitted to seeing as much as his shadow since then.  
  
It was a constant weight on Thor's mind. On one hand, if Loki had wished for company, he would have made it known, and perhaps time to think everything through in peace was exactly what he needed. At the same time, he couldn't help but worry that leaving him alone to ponder the Norns only knew what dark thoughts was the very worst thing he could do. Whenever this thought occurred to him, he redoubled his effort to seek out his errant brother, futile though they were.  
  
By the time a week had passed, he could take it no longer. If he couldn't find Loki himself, he would go to the most reliable man in Asgard.  
  
Heimdall knew who he sought before he uttered a single word. "Your brother is lost to me at present time." The indomitable guardian narrowed his eyes. "Either he has found some other path from Asgard, or he has learned to shield himself from my sight altogether."  
  
Thor nodded. It had only been a matter of time till Heimdall pieced together who was behind the incident during the first coronation. "All the more reason why I must speak with him."  
  
Heimdall said nothing for a while. Slowly, he raised his chin and allowed his gaze to sweep across Asgard.  
  
"I last saw him in the eastern wing of the palace," he finally said. "It has been some hours since, however."  
  
It was more than Thor would have guessed by himself. "If he isn't there now, he might return there later."  
  
He turned to leave, only to change his mind after the first few steps. Heimdall stood unmoved, as noble in his bearing as any of the statues guarding the great causeway.  
  
He sought his gaze. "Thank you."  
  
Heimdall gave a minute bow, little more than an inclination of the head. "Of course, my king."  
  
It was a thank you for much more than a single piece of direction, but with no way of explaining it, it would have to do.

 

* * *

  
  
Now that he knew where to begin, he found Loki much faster than he had anticipated. He sat alone in a rarely used room, surrounded by books, leafing through one lying on his lap with a slight frown. From the door, he looked perfectly composed, neatly dressed and with his hair carefully combed back, but by this time Thor had learned that meant absolutely nothing.  
  
The moment Thor thought this, Loki looked up. If he was surprised to see him, he didn't show it. "Why are you here?"  
  
"To speak with you."  
  
Loki's eyes narrowed, but he said nothing as Thor seated himself on the opposite side of the unlit hearth. He set the book aside and crossed his fingers, waiting for Thor to speak.  
  
It took him a moment to begin, considering the circumstances in which they had last spoken. "I'd like to know why you haven't been to any official ceremonies, and when you'll attend them again."  
  
From close up, there were visible shadows under Loki's eyes. "Does it actually matter?"  
  
"Of course it does." Thor leaned his chin against his hand, still maintaining eye contact. "It's not just the official things. I need your advice on how to best protect our people. Mother says you haven't spoken to her in a week." Was it just his imagination, or was there a flash of guilt in Loki's eyes? "And like her, I too am concerned, Brother. This isn't like you."  
  
Loki studied his expression carefully, his gaze cool and guarded. Thor had been careful not to mention the other thing Loki had done before his disappearance that wasn't like him. It had most likely been a spur of a moment ploy to distract him, and bringing it up now, with so many other things in the air, was liable to only muddle things further.  
  
When Loki next spoke, the question took Thor off-guard. "Why are you preparing for war?"  
  
He hadn't even known Loki had followed the measures he had taken, let alone how. "As a precaution. You know what Father always says."  
  
"Of course." Loki broke eye contact, staring intently at the book by his side. "Then, another question. How long have you known?"  
  
"About what?"  
  
"About what I am."  
  
He had expected this, of course. "Not for that long."  
  
"How did you find out?"  
  
It only then occurred to Thor what he had meant to use as an excuse wouldn't work at all. Unless he had misunderstood something, Loki himself only knew because he had eavesdropped him confronting their father with the fact, so he couldn't claim the Allfather had told him. And if he lied and said Mother had told him, told him but not Loki, he would only make things worse. And the actual truth of how he knew, with all the ensuing questions? If Loki was already in a fragile state of mind, it could well shatter him.  
  
"It doesn't matter," he said after a pause, one he prayed wasn't too revealing. "It doesn't change anything."  
  
Loki glowered at him. "That's not an answer. How did you find out?"  
  
He had to dodge the question, but above all he had to make something as clear as crystal, or else everything he tried to change might well be for naught. "It really doesn't matter, Loki. What Father said was true. You're one of us, and nothing can ever change that."  
  
Loki glared at him for a moment longer, then looked away and raised his hand to his temple.  
  
Thor pressed on. "Where you come from doesn't change who you are. You belong in Asgard. With us." He really should have rehearsed this beforehand.  
  
The whispering was gone, he suddenly noticed. He was so used to it by then he only ever noted its absence.  
  
It meant nothing in this situation, anyway. "Loki." He hoped the sound of his name would catch his attention, but Loki still wouldn't look at him, instead continuing to rub his temples, now with both hands. "Asgard needs you. And I need you. I'm honestly not sure how I could go on without you." Even in the world where he had had no choice, he hadn't known if he could ever truly do it.  
  
Loki grimaced. At first, Thor thought he was sneering at his words, but he was soon proven wrong as Loki doubled over, clutching his head in obvious agony.  
  
"Loki!" He was on his feet before he even thought of it, and in a heartbeat he sitting next to Loki, holding him upright by the shoulders, desperate to find the source of whatever was going on. "What's wrong?"  
  
Loki took a shuddering breath and didn't respond, but clutched onto Thor's arm for support in what seemed to him like an instinctual move. After several more pauses between breaths, with to Thor each seemed a minute long, the tension in his body slowly winded out.  
  
He then opened his eyes, blinking uncertainly, his usual close control of his expression momentarily supplanted by abject confusion.  
  
"Are you alright?"  
  
The words appeared to shake him out of it: at once, the confusion vanished under a noncommittal look. "It was nothing."  
  
Dread crept in. Such an obvious lie could only mean Loki was so distracted he wasn't even trying. "Has this happened before?" He couldn't recall witnessing anything like this in either the past or the future, not since they had been children and he had learned to be wary of Loki's tactic to go: "please help me, I'm hurt— ha, you fell for it, time to stab you now."  
  
That didn't appear to be his ploy this time around, anyway. He met Thor's eyes, already perfectly collected. "I said it was nothing."  
  
It was at that moment that Thor realized he was still clutching Loki in what was practically an embrace, with both his hands firmly on his shoulders and their chests almost touching. Loki appeared to have noticed the same thing at the exact same time. He made no effort to move away as he kept a close eye on Thor's face, his own expression as inscrutable and closely guarded as it had ever been.  
  
The whispers were back, this time with a tone that sounded like encouragement, but Thor paid them no attention. His heart was beating faster at every beat, as if to match the sudden tension growing in the room.  
  
Afterwards, he couldn't tell which one of them had made the first move, but by the time their lips met, he was more than happy to pull Loki closer and deepen the kiss.  
  
It went on for quite a while, and even the whispers fell silent.  Whatever the incident in the the treasury had been, this was no mistake.  
  
Eventually, Loki broke the kiss. He wasn't smiling, exactly, but there was a glint in his eye that hadn't been there before. "Now I really hope you're not my brother."  
  
Thor smiled back in earnest, unable to keep the grin off his face. "I hate to disappoint you, but I am."  
  
He moved in for another kiss, but Loki pulled away. "No."  
  
He let go at once, dropping his arms to his sides. "Forgive me. I didn't mean to—"  
  
"Do what?" Loki gave him a long, cool look, during which the back of his neck felt like it was about to burst into flames, then relaxed. "I need more time. That's all."  
  
With that, he stood up and picked up his book. "If you see her, tell Mother I'll meet her at breakfast."  
  
Though still off balance, Thor nodded. "Consider it done."  
  
Loki left the room at an unhurried pace, with only a single glance back once he reached the doorway. Thor remained seated for quite a while afterwards, with enough confused thoughts to last him a lifetime, but feeling a strange glow within him not unlike what he had felt during his first afternoon back in time.  
  
While gathering himself, he glanced at the covers of the books Loki had left behind. They were mostly studies on the nature of the nine realms, including one especially ancient tome on the Convergence, interspersed with treatises on arcane magic theory. What Loki needed them for, exactly, he couldn't tell. He could only hope that if they were meant for ill purposes, their discussion had at least postponed such plans.  
  
Even so, the last thing he felt before sinking back into his usual dreams of drowning was a sense of foreboding, one he couldn't shake off before the world went black.


	6. Chapter 6

He knew something was wrong before he even opened his eyes. He had slept fitfully, as expected, and from the grogginess lurking beneath the customary feeling of being out of breath told him he has woken earlier than usual.  
  
Both of these feelings evaporated the moment he managed to force his eyelids to obey, and all his attention was drawn to a  shimmering pillar of bluish light hovering in the air mere feet away from the foot of his bed, pulsing and humming softly.  
  
He was on his feet at once. Gungnir remained where he had left it the previous night as his fingers automatically curled around Mjolnir's shaft, and then he was already inching towards the light, his shoulders squared.  
  
As he looked on, the light grew brighter. Its surface rippled like a lake in a storm, revealing a an array of hexagons, until it suddenly began to solidify into a humanoid shape. In a few moments, the figure straightened out, revealing herself as a warrior woman. She had changed from her distinctive armor back to leather gear, but Thor recognized her at once.  
  
Astonishment gave way to joy. "Valkyrie! You're alive!"  
  
He immediately regretted this exclamation and the confusion it could well create, but Valkyrie took it in stride: there was only a momentary hesitation before her features smoothed out. "That answers my first question." She looked at Thor from top to toe. "And you're not naked. Even better."  
  
So this likely was the Valkyrie he had known. "How are you here?"  
  
Valkyrie raised her hand for silence. "Look, they told me I wouldn't have much time to work with, and I've already been to three other worlds looking for you. I need you to listen."  
  
"I will."  
  
Valkyrie took a deep breath. "You need to wake up."  
  
Thor raised his chin to show he wasn't the least bit drowsy. "I'm awake. Go ahead."  
  
Valkyrie gave him a distinctly unimpressed look, one Thor was already well familiar with despite not having known her for long. Another ripple ran across the light's surface, momentarily distorting her features.  
  
She exhaled loudly. "Okay, I'll try the long version. Do you remember what happened after we escaped Asgard?"  
  
Thor's heart sank. "Of course." So much of what had happened since was etched so deeply into his memory all the time and alcohol in the Nine Realms couldn't shift them.  
  
"And what happened to you?"  
  
Thor blinked. "No." What _was_ his last memory from before? "I remember Thanos using the Infinity Glove, and then..." It was like trying to hold water in his hands. "I'm not sure."  
  
"You didn't die, if that's what you're worried about." Valkyrie looked out of the window and fell silent for a moment, possibly distracted by the familiar skies of Asgard. "But you were injured fighting Thanos' forces. Most of you were. They— we thought you were dead."  
  
"I see." He probably should have been more surprised, but without even the faintest memory of the event, it felt like it had happened to some stranger rather than himself, assuming any of this was true in the first place and he hadn't simply gone from hearing voices to seeing ghostly visions of former companions. "Why am I here?"  
  
"It's a blessing from the Norns, probably. Or a curse, I wouldn't know. Your soul was separated from your body and ended up, well," she gestured at their surroundings, "here. Is this a new Asgard?"  
  
"The old one."  
  
After Thor explained what he knew of what was going on as succinctly as possible, Valkyrie continued. "If you've really traveled back in time, it will have created a new parallel dimension next to our own. Sort of like another realm, but much harder to travel to."  
  
Thor stared. "You know a lot about this."  
  
"I took dimensional theory as an elective." Her tone made it impossible to tell if she was joking, but the quick smile on her face suggested she might have been. It faded fast. "In any case, it's best to act like it's not real. I'm here to bring you back to our world."  
  
Thor found himself sitting down on the floor and running his hand through his hair. He hadn't noticed the whispers all the while he and Valkyrie spoke, but they were back now, and very insistent. Even so, they had never been easier to ignore.  
  
Valkyrie, however, wasn't so easy to dismiss. "You can't be hesitating."  She straightened herself to her full height, which wasn't much, but her sheer force of presence made up for it. "Remember what you said to me back in Sakaar? It's because of you that I returned to Asgard, and now Asgard needs you more than ever."  
  
Thor stared at the floor for a while longer, then met Valkyrie's gaze. "How do I get back?"  
  
Valkyrie's shoulders relaxed. "They said that once you know what's going on and are ready to return, your soul should snap back where it belongs in a day. Two days, at most."  
  
He wasn't sure he was ready. "A day isn't much time to set affairs straight here."  
  
Valkyrie shrugged. "That's why it's best not to think of this world as real. Just forget all about it."  
  
The world was as real as his own was, Thor knew, but she was right: if he spent too much dwelling on it, it would make returning to his place of origin all the harder. "I'll simply do what I can."  
  
"Might as well. Anyway—" Valkyrie abruptly paused, staring at something behind Thor.  
  
Thor got on his feet and turned just in time to witness Loki standing in the doorway, dismissing the last remnants of an invisibility spell.  
  
The three of them stared at each other in profound silence. The look on Loki's face was almost blank, the kind he usually wore when considering some mundane problem. Slowly, he turned his gaze away, taking a deep breath.  
  
"Loki." There was no point in saying it, but the word escaped Thor's lips before he could stop it.  
  
It was as if hearing his name broke the spell: Loki blinked, his eyes widening. Without waiting for another moment, he left the room, leaving the door ajar behind him.  
  
"How much do you think he heard?" Valkyrie asked in a tone Thor considered far too casual for the situation at hand.  
  
He was already rushing to the door. "Too much. Or too little."  
  
"Does it really matter? You'll be gone in a day's time."  
  
Thor turned back to snap that it mattered as much as anything in his own world, but before he could say anything, Valkyrie grew distorted again, and this time, remained so.  
  
She raised her rippling hand before her eyes. "Oh, I wondered what it would lo—"  
   
And just like that, she was gone. The light collapsed into a single glowing dot, then blinked out entirely. Thor stared at where she had been only for a heartbeat before running out.

 

* * *

  
  
The palace was slowly stirring to a new day, but Thor paid no attention to the few confused passers-by be ran past as he headed in the direction thought he had seen Loki disappear into. He had always been a good runner, but Loki had a sizable head-start, and with so many corridors and rooms to hide in, no matter how fast he moved, the chances of catching up grew slimmer by the moment.  
  
Just as he was about to give up and call his name at the top of his voice, commotion be damned, he turned a corner and saw Loki not far ahead. As he looked on, Loki suddenly stumbled and leaned into the wall for support. He took another step forward, then began to sink to the side.  
  
"Loki!" He rushed forward to help him upright, but the moment he placed a hand on Loki's shoulder, he melted into thin air. He only had time to realize what had happened, not even enough to sense the presence behind him, before a knife was driven into his body near his right shoulder blade.  
  
To think he had fallen for the oldest trick in the book, he couldn't help but think as he sank on his knees, a dizzying numbness radiating from his wounded shoulder. How long had it been since it had last worked on him? Perhaps, in the end, he had learned nothing at all.  
  
By the time his knees hit the floor, Loki had circled in front of him, another knife in hand. He crouched down to his side.  
  
"So, will you finally tell me where the real Thor is?" His voice was curiously detached. "Or was there no real Thor to begin with?"  
  
Steadying his breath in spite of the cold agony sapping his strength, Thor looked up to meet his gaze. His brother's tone and controlled movements had been a lie: his eyes were wild with barely-contained panic, threatening to spill over at any second.  
  
He considered his options. There was no-one within view, but if he called out, he'd almost certainly alert someone. The knife was still lodged within him, keeping his blood loss at mere trickles, and while moving his right arm was impossible, the rest of his body still functioned. If he timed it right, he might get a chance to wrest the knife from Loki.  
  
For the time being, he adopted the calmest voice he could, though painfully aware some emotion leaked into his words regardless. "You shouldn't take this any further, Brother."  
  
"What does it matter?" By now, the panic had escaped into Loki's voice, too. "Whatever you are, you don't belong here, no more than—"  
  
His voice petered out abruptly as he raised his free hand to his temple. The very moment Thor thought his chance had come, however, he snapped back to attention, his voice eerily calm despite his still knit brow. "Well, it's not important, is it?"  
  
"Loki..." He could no longer wait. He had to go for the knife.  
  
Loki raised his hand.  
  
Thor shifted his balance, ready to defend himself.  
  
Just then, instead of striking, Loki lowered his hand back down. With a single flick of the wrist, he turned the knife on himself, and before Thor could stop him, plunged it deep beneath his ribs.  
  
Time stood still.  
  
Very slowly, Loki retracted the blade, now glistening to the grip with ruby-colored blood, and dropped it on his lap with a soft thud. In an equally slow, almost dreamy motion, he placed his hand over the wound, then brought his bloodied palm before his eyes. He stared at it with a vague expression, like he wasn't sure what he was seeing.  
  
He made a small sound that could have been a chuckle, but sounded more like a sigh.  
  
With that, he fell forward.  
  
Time sped up as Thor sprung to action, Forcing himself to move despite the pain, he caught Loki before he landed on the floor, likely still conscious but unresponsive. Acting more on instinct than through thought, he balanced Loki's head against his shoulder for better access at the wound, and lacking any other options since he had rushed out of his rooms without getting properly dressed, suppressed the blood flow with the hem of Loki's own cape.  
  
The smooth green rapidly grew dark and heavy with blood. No matter how adamantly Thor pressed the fabric against the wound, he couldn't both lay Loki down on the floor and keep him from bleeding out with only one functional arm. He raised his head. "Guards!"  
  
His roar echoed in the corridor.  
  
Almost at once, he heard running steps approaching, but before they could reach them, his vision blurred and faded away. By the time he was being helped back on his feet by several pairs of hands and felt other hands forcing him to relinquish hid grip on Loki, he saw and heard nothing but vague shapes and the sound of rushing waves.


	7. Chapter 7

He was on his feet before his mother was through the door. "How is he?"  
  
Frigga closed the door behind her before turning towards him. "Sit back down. You'll re-open your wound."  
  
Thor sank back to his seat, careful to keep his damaged shoulder, which had begun to throb again due to the sudden movement, from touching the back of the bench. He kept his gaze steadily on Frigga. "How is he?"  
  
Frigga sighed, but it was fond sound rather than an exasperated one. She seated herself on one of the free benches in the room and arranged her skirts. "We were very lucky. He's already recovering." A faint smile appeared on her face. "You saved his life, Thor."  
  
Thor nodded, relief flooding through him and numbing the ache in his shoulder. He was already feeling much better: the knife had inflicted startlingly little actual damage, and none the healers couldn't cope with. If anything, the few hours he had been on mandatory rest were eating him up far more than the metal ever had.  
  
He looked up. "Is he awake?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
He sprang back to his feet. "I'm going to go see him."  
  
Frigga leaned forward to touch his hand, giving him a meaningful look. After a few moments of staring back at her, Thor gave up and settled back down.  
  
"If you truly demand to see him, I can't stop you," Frigga said after he exhaled, trying his best to contain his frustration, "but as your mother, I must ask that you take today to recover and wait until tomorrow."  
  
The following day might well be too late. "Can you tell me where he is, at least?"  
  
Frigga's gaze moved to hover somewhere near his ear. "He's being held in custody."  
  
"Custody?"  
  
It snapped back to his eyes. "On grounds of attempted regicide."  
  
Thor leaned his head against his hand. But of course. "It wasn't a murder attempt, Mother." He couldn't be entirely certain of it, of course, but considering everything that Loki had learned over the past week and what Thor knew he could have done instead, simply sticking a knife in the source of all the revelations barely registered to him as a real offense. If anything, he was far more concerned about Loki turning the knife on himself; even in light of Thor never truly understanding why he had let go at the Bifrost back in his own time, this latest incident raised even more questions in him than Valkyrie's explanation of parallel worlds.  
  
"I did hope you could shed some light into the matter." Frigga smiled, but it was a smile without a hint of mirth. "So far, he has refused to say a single word about what happened."

"It's a misunderstanding." There had to be something he could use as extenuating circumstances. The very last thing he wanted to leave as his inheritance to this world was Loki facing felony charges. "He wasn't in his right mind. He," he glanced at the door before continuing, lowering his voice, "he discovered his true heritage."  
  
All color drained from Frigga's face.  
  
"How?" she finally whispered.  
  
"I don't know," Thor lied, with a heavy heart.  
  
Frigga let out a deep, drawn-out sigh, but seemed to accept the answer. She stared at the embers of the hearth as perfect silence fell.  
  
"I always knew we shouldn't have kept it from him," she finally said, her eyes still on the remnants of the fire.  
  
"Why did you?"  
  
"Your father was adamant about it. He said under no circumstances could anything good come of it, and by the time I ceased to believe it, we had lied about it for so long I knew the truth would only cause more damage." Frigga pinched the bridge of her nose. "I sometimes considered telling him anyway, when we were alone and I thought I could explain it to him, but I never found the right words."  
  
Thor reached towards her. "I understand." Even if he hadn't, she looked so sorrowful he could scarcely feel anything but tenderness towards her.  
  
A small smile crossed her lips as she clasped his hand. "I have sometimes dreamed the Norns would allow me to return to when your father first brought him home, so I could raise you two in full honesty." Her eyes kept being drawn to the empty spot next to the couch Thor was reclining on. She frowned, then shook her head. "But that hardly helps, does it?"  
  
If only he had time to explain everything to her. "You shouldn't blame yourself, Mother."  
  
Frigga nodded, but in a way that suggested she didn't entirely agree. When she next looked up, however, there was no hesitation or weakness.  "You understand that this changes nothing, of course. Loki is a member of the family as much as we are."  
  
"Of course." Thor squeezed her hand. "It's going to be fine, Mother. I swear it to you."  
  
"Thank you." This time, when Frigga looked at him, she smiled in earnest. "You have grown up so fast during the past couple of weeks. I can't tell you how proud I am."  
  
It only then struck Thor that this was likely the last time he would ever see his mother alive.  
  
There was so much that needed to be said he couldn't say anything at all. Instead, he squeezed her hand again, hoping the gesture could convey at least a fraction of all the love and affection he felt for her.  
  
Frigga squeezed him back, then let go and stood up. "I should leave you in peace for now. Your friends are anxious to see you, too."  
  
Despite the ensuing stab of pain, Thor stood up after her.  
  
"Thor, please." Frigga gave him an admonishing smile. "I know it's difficult for you to stay in one place for long, but—"  
  
Before she could finish, he walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her. She felt curiously small when he held her, but she was warm, and gentle, and above all the best mother he could ever hope for.  
  
"Thank you," he whispered.  
  
"For what?"  
  
"For everything."  
  
They were still hugging when Lady Sif and the Warriors Three entered the room, bringing with them food and drinks and many exclamations of how happy they were Thor was alive.

 

* * *

  
  
He allowed himself one final hour with his companions, glossing over what had happened in the morning and spending the majority of the time exchanging good-humored comments and memories of past adventures over the spread they'd smuggled in, after which he decided his wound no longer hurt nearly enough to keep him from facing the music.  
  
He made his farewells heartfelt, and if they surprised Lady Sif and The Warriors Three, they didn't express their suspicions out loud. Lady Sif turned to give him one last appraising look, but left with the others without further protest.  
  
His father had no reaction to his goodbye, naturally, but he felt better for visiting him one last time regardless. They did say he heard everything that happened around him in his slumber, after all.  
  
The guards didn't object when he asked where his brother was being held; at the sight of him holding Gungnir in one hand and Mjolnir in the other, they merely pointed him in the correct direction. As heavy as the burden of kingship was, it still had its perks.  
  
Loki barely reacted to his entrance, only briefly glancing in his general direction as he sat down on the only other available seat, set his weapons to the side, and crossed his hands between his knees, before turning to look back out the window.  
  
As moments ticked by in silence uninterrupted even by the whispers, he took his brother's indifference to his presence as an opportunity to gather his thoughts and look at their surroundings. The room they were in wasn't exactly a prison cell: it was adjacent to the main healing room, intended for patients that for one reason or another were safer separated from others. The door was locked and guarded, but beyond that, it was perfectly normal, if small and plain for the palace.  
  
Loki himself was slouching on his seat, with one foot on the bench and the other on the floor. He'd had a change of clothes, hiding any signs of injury, and if Thor hadn't known better, he'd have assumed he was simply lounging around during a dull afternoon. The only outwardly sign that anything was amiss was reinforced by a bell-like clink as Loki adjusted his shoulders, coming from the long, thin chain attaching a pair of metal cuffs around his wrists to one another.  
  
The handcuffs confused Thor on two fronts. He couldn't understand why they had bothered with restraints at all if they had chosen such feeble ones; any sorcerer — or any warrior, for that matter — could snap such a weak chain with little more than a thought. He understood even less why Loki hadn't already done just that.  
  
"Well?" Loki eventually asked while he was wondering about it.  
  
He discarded his reveries. "Well, what?"  
  
"Why are you here? If you have something to say, do so. And if you're here to bash my head in to keep me from revealing your secret, instead," Loki's eyes drifted across Mjolnir, "there's no time like now."  
  
"I want to speak with you. That's all." Where to begin? "Why were you in my rooms?"  
  
Loki arched a single incredulous eyebrow. "Of all the things you could ask me, that's what you wish to know?"  
  
"Yes." It wasn't what he most wanted to ask, no, but it was a question he might get answered, perhaps even with the truth.  
  
Loki stared at him for a moment, then returned his attention to the window. "I was looking for proof you're not who you claim you are. Something I could use to unmask you." He let out a humorless chuckle. "Of course, I learned a fair bit more than I could have dreamed of."  
  
Thor decided to sidestep that for the time being. "And then what?"  
  
"I would have revealed the truth to the people. Discovered where the real Thor is, and if not," he shrugged, "well. Assumed the throne for the time being."  
  
"I see."  
  
"I suppose Asgard is fortunate. They'd have gone from impostor to Jotun."  
  
To change the subject, Thor returned to his attention to the handcuffs. "Those look flimsy."  
  
"These?" The chained links chimed as Loki raised his hands. "They're barely enchanted. Pathetic, really."  
  
"Why wear them at all?"  
  
"It didn't seem to matter."  
  
The entire time they had spoken, he had used the same flat, even voice, but this final remark was uttered in the most lifeless tone of all. Thor hadn't liked seeing Loki in his earlier frenzied state, but this new despondency was almost worse.  
  
That, above all else, finally made up his mind. "Can you walk?"  
  
Loki shrugged. "I assume so. I haven't tried it yet, but I recall being decent at it."  
  
"Then let's go somewhere else. Somewhere that's not Asgard."  
  
Before Loki could do more than frown, he continued, "I'll explain everything I know as best I can. You can make your own decision about what to do with it afterwards."  
  
Loki continued to look at him without a hint of emotion, but the way he sat had changed: he was sharper, more alert. "You'd break me out of here?"  
  
"No, I'll order them to let you go. I am still the king."  
  
"You'd leave the throne unattended?"  
  
"I'd never doubt Mother's ability to rule."  
  
"And you're not afraid I'll stab you the moment you turn your back?"  
  
Despite his aching shoulder, Thor couldn't help but grin. "Are you going to?"  
  
Loki didn't quite smile back, but there was a flash of amusement in his eyes. "I'd need something to stab you with, first."  
  
He had already fully turned towards Thor when he suddenly hesitated. "Even if you can free me, there's no way they'll let me out of Asgard. Heimdall will stop us the moment we set foot on the Bifrost."  
  
Thor was quite certain he could order that, too, but he played along. "If you managed to smuggle those Frost Giants to my coronation without him noticing, you can spirit us out of here, too."  
  
A small smirk rose to Loki's lips, vanishing as soon as Thor noticed it. He held his chained wrists forward.  
  
The very last blow Thor would ever strike with Mjolnir sundered the links apart like they were made of air.


	8. Chapter 8

The day was warmer than the one Thor had last visited the lonely cliff in Norway, with the sun only just beginning its journey down from its zenith. Other than that, he wouldn't have been surprised to learn the place was just as it was in his memories, right down to the last blade of grass.  
  
Loki looked around the vast emptiness with a bemused expression. "Why here?"  
  
"This is last place where we saw our father alive."  
  
Loki considered this for a moment, then sat down on the grass, straightening his robes before looking up. "Very well. I'm listening."  
  
He remained mostly silent after that, only chiming in with a few clarifying questions as Thor sat down next to him, set down his weapons, and recounted everything that had happened to him prior to awakening in this world. Some parts of the tale warranted a quick smile, others a frown, but for the majority of it he stared at the horizon with an expression carved of stone.  
  
It was only after Thor reached the part where he and what remained of the people of Asgard set off in search of new place to call home and paused that he turned towards him. "And then what?"  
  
Thor breathed in. "What if I told you that's where it ends?"  
  
"Then I'd say that despite your claims that you've learned to lie, you're still terrible at it."  
  
Thor managed a mirthless smile, and with a heavy heart, continued. Even when it came to his own death, Loki listened on without a single interruption and with an air of detached curiosity, like he was instead learning of the fate of some doomed hero of a saga.  
  
By the time Thor finished, the sun was setting. The horizon was blazing with a soft orange glow, but the sky above their heads was already a velvety blue, growing darker by the minute.  
  
Loki was the first to break the silence that followed. "No wonder they're so desperate to have you back."  
  
Thor gave him a searching look. He seemed outwardly calm, but even though he wanted to take it at face value, his body tensed in anticipation of an incoming tempest.  
  
"You sound pretty accepting of this," he said cautiously.  
  
Loki shrugged. "What can I say? I've spent the past week trying to understand where you came from. None of my theories were a perfect match for your story, but," he shrugged again, "a couple of them were close."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"This is hardly the first time the Norns have done something that is beyond our understanding."  
  
Thor nodded and relaxed for the time being. Another silence fell over them like a sheet of gossamer: light and harmless, but a palpable presence nevertheless.  
  
"When you go," Loki asked, dismissing it once more, "Will the old Thor return?"  
  
"I don't know." He had never once thought what had happened to the him that belonged in this dimension, but now that the question was put to him, he couldn't help but wonder if he was commandeering the body that belonged to the real Thor of this world. It was a strange thought that made him feel alien in his own skin. "I think he will."  
  
The corners of Loki's lips tugged upwards. "Won't that be fun?"  
  
Recalling Loki's outburst in the vault, Thor decided to try his hand at damage control. "If it's of any consolation, even back then, when I was at my most... what was it that you said again?"  
  
"Arrogant, bloodthirsty, childish?"  
  
Thor chuckled. "Yes, those. Even back then, I always loved you. Not in the same manner we've expressed it lately," he added as Loki raised a questioning eyebrow, "but I did, all the same."  
  
Loki gazed towards the ocean. There was still only the faintest precursor of a smile in his face, but it was there, nevertheless. "I'll keep that in mind."  
  
"I know I could be unbearably reckless—"  
  
"You don't have to sell me on your past self, Thor. I already loved you, too." He turned to shoot Thor a meaningful look. "Even if you could be an utter oaf."  
  
"Oh." Though Loki didn't hasten to clarify, something about the way he said the words made Thor suspect he didn't mean brotherly love.  
  
"Besides, now I know what you can become. Turns out Father was right. You were born to be a king."  
  
Thor tried to catch his eye. "So were you."  
  
"I already told you flattery isn't going to get you anywhere."  
  
"No." Thor glanced at the weapons at his side. Without further hesitation, he picked up Gungnir and held it out towards Loki with both hands. "Here."  
  
Loki stilled. He stared at the spear like he expected it to turn into a snake. "What?"  
  
"You should have it. When I said I wanted us to rule together, I meant it."  
  
It was almost funny, he thought, as Loki continued to stare at him like he had gone insane. He had absorbed Thor's dimensional tale with little more than a blink, and this simple gesture was what stunned him, instead?  
  
He probably should have done it a lot sooner.  
  
Very slowly, Loki extended his hands and grasped the spear, and when Thor let go, pulled it back at an equally sedate speed. He proceeded to examine the gleaming shaft with a look of wonder, as if he hadn't seen it thousands of time before.  
  
Eventually, the spell was broken, and he gave Thor a very strange look. For a fleeting moment, Thor thought he would use the spear to skewer him right there and then, a risk he knew he had taken by giving him a weapon, but as soon as he thought that, Loki instead lay it on the grass on his side and leaned towards him.  
  
"A pity we won't get a chance," he murmured.  
  
Unsure whether it was an invitation or not, after a moment's hesitation Thor closed the distance between them and wrapped his arm around Loki. It was the bad arm, but after the initial sting it ceased to bother him. "We might. Just not as we are now."  
  
His eyes returned to the setting sun. He imagined that if they had really put their minds to it, they could have found a way through which he could have remained in this world. A futile dream, rendered untenable and utterly selfish in the face of his responsibilities, but there it was, anyway.  
  
"A day, was it?" By the sound of it, Loki was on a similar track of thought.  
  
"Or two." Even as he said it, his instincts told him his time was running out far too fast for it to be more than one.  
  
"Hmm." Loki rested his head against Thor's shoulder, a gesture which despite everything that had transpired surprised Thor in its intimacy. "You managed a lot of good in little time. It should be much easier to continue from here."  
  
Thor gave him a long, searching look. Either he was making an incredible effort to appear as tranquil as possible, enough to completely fool someone who knew him well and was looking for even the slightest signs of disturbance at a close distance, or, in spite of everything that had happened that day alone, Loki was, at least for the present moment, truly at peace.  
  
"I still don't know how to go on without you." He had always found it easier to be honest about his feelings, but he was still surprised by how readily the words flowed out of him.  
  
"You'll have to figure it out fast. Your Asgard needs its king." Loki's tone was airy with flippant mockery, but his eyes were the opposite: alert and ponderous, staring ahead with shades of melancholy.  
  
"I know." As long as a single Asgardian of his world lived, he had a charge to bear. He sighed. "And I need you."  
  
It was the first real smile he had seen on Loki's face for what felt like an eternity, short-lived though it was.  
  
The glowing sunset had diminished to a thin line where the sky and ocean met, separating the two by the smallest distance possible.  
  
"You know," Loki raised his head to eye the empty meadow around them, then turned towards Thor, "With this likely being the last time we'll ever meet, we should take full advantage of it."  
  
Thor felt warm. "What would you like to—"  
  
Before he could finish the question, Loki interrupted him with a deep kiss.  
  
It was strangely simple, Thor couldn't help but think as they moved on from embracing one another to fumbling with each other's clothes, with no further words exchanged, with no sound but that of heavy, steady breathing, and the breeze rushing over the grass. So simple he wondered if they should have done it years ago, but that thought was soon forgotten when Loki pulled him closer and over himself, until they were lying on the ground with Thor half straddling him.  
  
He shifted, mindful of the heavily dressed wound that peeked through Loki's half-opened robe, but Loki himself didn't seem to pay it much attention: he kept guiding Thor's hands whenever he was unsure what to do next, and else trailed his fingertips across his chest and shoulders, sending sparks into Thor's veins, which further turned into a growing warmth moving downwards. By the time he freed himself of final pieces of clothing in the way, it was unbearable.  
  
When he entered Loki, the latter made a small, startled sound, blinking uncertainly. He froze in place, resisting the overwhelming temptation to sink further into the awaiting warmth. "Does it hurt?"  
  
Loki tilted his head, as if he had to genuinely consider the question. "It's different from what I expected."  
  
He probably shouldn't have asked, but he did, anyway. "With me, or in general?"  
  
"I'll leave that to your imagination." Loki raised his index finger and brought it to Thor's lips, while simultaneously burying his other hand into his hair. "That's enough questions for now. Go on."  
  
Thor had to agree. What did such a trivial thing matter, what did either the past or the future matter when there was the present moment, and the glow within him which grew every moment he looked down at those bright, beautiful eyes and which drowned out everything else?  
  
He pushed onward, eliciting another soft gasp.  
  
In the end, it only lasted a few minutes, but felt like a lifetime in its own right. Loki's breathing was ragged, a match for his own, and the look he gave him was one half contentment, one half mischief.  
  
His shoulder was throbbing again from the effort of holding him up, painful now that the pleasure ebbed away, but he couldn't bring himself to care. He much preferred to focus on the other heartbeat next to his own, loud and stubborn and above all entirely real.  
  
Slowly, he rolled over, seeking Loki's hand. They knit their fingers together, then lay there in silence, shoulder to shoulder, looking on as the first stars of the night lit up on the blackening sky.

 

* * *

  
  
When Thor awoke, he was alone on the cliff.  
  
He stirred slowly, unsure if the previous night had been anything more than a pleasant dream, and discovering it didn't matter to him either way. What mattered was the world, the world where the sky above his head was pale despite it still being night-time, and where Asgard stood radiant among the Nine Realms, its people unharmed and capable of leading long, happy lives well into the future.  
  
He sat up to look in the direction where he knew his home realm was, wishing the Thor who would awaken to this world in his place would learn to fully appreciate it without too great a sacrifice. And wherever Loki had gone, he wished, perhaps even more fervently, that he too realized how important he was and what he could become.  
  
The right side of the field was blurry for reasons that had nothing to do with grogginess. He touched his face to discover his eye was gone again, as was most of his hair as he ran his fingers through it.  
  
As soon as he began to wonder if the Norns had already spirited him to his own time without him noticing, he heard rising waves hit the cliffside. By the time he was on his feet, the heavy wind had become a tempest. He looked on in awe as the ocean below rose higher and higher, until a final, tremendous current drove it over the cliff in single, massive wave, engulfing everything to the skies above.  
  
Perhaps this was why, he idly mused as the black waters swept him away, the reason why he had been drowning all this time.


	9. Chapter 9

It was as if someone had pulled him from black waters and into a golden light.  
  
He drew air into his lungs, too used to the situation to bother with anything before his breathing had steadied. Still, he was vaguely aware of being partially immersed in something that felt like water, but without the sensation of wetness, and of a hand around his wrist pulling him to the shore.  
  
"Have you always been this heavy?"  
  
His eyelids snapped open. The water dripping down from his brow turned everything into a blur, and he only saw the vague outline of a person standing before him. Even so, there was no mistaking the voice.  
  
Once nothing but his feet were in the water, Loki let go, walking further inland alone. He clambered on his feet after him, wiping his face dry against his arm. He blinked.  
  
They were in a vague, misty environment, with an ever-shifting sky and no sunlight. Apart from the sandy peninsula they stood on, everything was enveloped in opaque vapor, reflecting a golden light shining from an unseen source. There was no wind, nor any sound but that of his own breathing, and that of Loki's soft footsteps on the sand.  
  
Loki paused some feet away, folding his arms. This wasn't the Loki he had sat with on the cliffside the previous night. Gone were the greens: he wore what Thor had last seen him wearing for his last moments alive in his own world.  
  
"I don't know why I bothered," he continued, addressing his words to the empty air next to himself rather than Thor. "I don't think it's actually possible to drown h—"  
  
"Loki."  
  
Loki froze, then just as quickly re-adopted his casual demeanor as he turned to face Thor. "Of course. _Now_ you hear me."  
  
Thor didn't have time to ponder the meaning of his words. He rose to his full height — noticing for the first time that his shoulder was entirely healed, as if it hadn't been hurt at all — and from there he took three large strides and grabbed Loki into a bear hug.  
  
At once, it was obvious something was wrong: Loki felt too slight and insubstantial, like if instead of flesh and blood he was composed of nothing but air. But it was still Loki, and so Thor tightened his hold.  
  
"Out of curiosity," Loki's voice was muffled against his shoulder, "is this a familial thing or continuation from last night?"  
  
That made Thor move Loki to an arm's length. He met his stare with his usual studied guilelessness.  
  
"You were..." Thor began, fighting for words.  
  
"There all along, yes." Loki's tone was matter-of-fact, even amused. He reached out and quite unnecessarily straightened the front of Thor's cape for him. "Seems like we may have missed an opportunity in our time."  
  
Thor let go entirely. He expected to feel embarrassed, but in the end, all that came through was surprise. Well, surprise, and dawning realization.  
  
"How?" he finally asked.  
  
"I saw you when you first passed through here." Loki nudged his head at their eerie surroundings. "So, I decided to tag along and see where you were going."  
  
Several things were suddenly beginning to make sense. "That sounds it's like breaking some kind of a rule." Surely the Norns didn't allow stowaways.  
  
Loki quirked an eyebrow. _What did you expect?_ "I almost regret not staying behind. It would have been fun to see how our past selves sort things out."  
  
Thor was too busy recalling the whispers and seeing if he could match their intonation with Loki's to answer at once. "Do you think they'll manage?"  
  
A hint of a smile. "I'd say they have a decent chance."  
  
Thor took the ensuing silence as an opportunity to convince himself it was indeed Loki's voice that had been whispering to him all along. "I'm sorry I couldn't hear you."  
  
"I'd blame the Norns." Loki brushed an imaginary speck of dust off his cuff. "Once it was obvious nothing I said got through, I tried another method of communication. Unfortunately, the me of that world was reluctant to relinquish control over his body."  
  
The memory of Loki's sudden collapse two days prior flashed in Thor's mind. "That was—"  
  
Loki spread his hands to his sides and smirked.  
  
Another possibility occurred to him. "Did you ever get through?"  
  
Loki kept smiling. It was obvious it was the only answer he was ever going to get.  
  
He sighed. That was fine. He couldn't dwell in the past here any more than he could in his life otherwise.  
  
Instead, he focused on smiling. "It's good to see you again."  
  
"In that case, I'd look at me as much as you can while you still have the chance."  
  
On some level, he had already anticipated this. "Why?"  
  
"You're in transit. Any moment now, and you're off to our world." Loki turned his head as if he saw something interesting in the swirling mist. "It's for the best. This isn't a good place for the living."  
  
"...I see."  
  
"Trust me, there are far worse ways to travel."  
  
"I don't doubt you." Thor racked his brain for something to say. Even if Loki had already heard everything he had told his past self, he couldn't exactly disappear back to his own world without at least thanking him.  
  
"Loki..." He began.  
  
Loki raised his hand to silence him, then held it out towards him. "It's been good to know you, Thor Odinson."  
  
Thor tried to smile, and to his great surprise, discovered that he could. He extended his hand in turn. "Likewise, Loki Odinson."  
  
They looked each other in the eye as their fingers met. While they were still clasping each other's hands, however, Loki suddenly stepped forward.  
  
Before Thor could do anything but blink, he rose to his toes and pressed a kiss on his forehead.  
  
He pulled back and smiled. "I'll see you soon."  
  
Before Thor had time to decide whether the words were comforting or ominous, he felt a sudden pull upwards. The sound of rushing water flooded his ears when once again, he was pulled through time and space.  
  
The last thing he saw was Loki looking up at him, his head tilted to the side, a thin smile still on his lips.

 

* * *

  
  
When he next woke, it was to perfect darkness. His body felt like it had been forced through grinder, then haphazardly tossed on the floor and left there to rot. But it was his body, all the same.  
  
He lay in place, limbs too heavy to budge, as his mind reoriented itself back to where it belonged. His memories of the other world felt distant and dream-like, but he didn't doubt their realness. There was another world, after all. A world he could only hope would fare better than his own.  
  
In due time, his ears began to function. There were distant sounds of battle, coming from outdoorswhile he was inside if he was any judge of it, as well as voices from not far away, unfamiliar, but not unfriendly. Wherever he would find himself once his body agreed to cooperate, he likely still had allies.  
  
From the time being, he allowed himself a moment of respite. Since he couldn't move, there was nothing to do but to wait and listen. Voices shouting, weapons being fired, and explosions so remote he was surprised to hear them at all.  
  
And audible above all of them, a curious, soft sound, which may well have been a whisper.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A Chinese translation courtesy of zzm702 can be found [here.](https://m.weibo.cn/2707616092/4246555239950108)
> 
> Thank you for reading!


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